Breaking Bad is in that rare position that most shows never find themselves in.

It has built itself up for three multi-layered, multi-faceted seasons. All episodes are plot-heavy, character-driven masterpieces in their own way.

And arguably, each season gets better than the last…

… But if you disagree with that- which is fine- it’s hard to disagree with the fact that each season gets bigger and more explosive than the last.

And after watching this video featuring cast interviews promising a “bigger” and “darker” season, it is clear that this season promises to up the ante again.

However, it got me thinking- and this is more a philosophical question that a questioning of the show itself – will you be disappointed if the fourth season is not as good, if not better than the last, and the one before it?

That seems to be the unenviable situation the show is in; it has established a brilliant product, and if the show is only half as good as it was previously, there may be disappointment.

For evidence, I point you to the first three or four episodes of season three. For Breaking Bad standards, there was very little in the way of high-stakes tension. The lack of action and overt danger could well be symbolised by the presence of the non-talking cousins.

While it was clear that there something bubbling under the surface, many remarked about the increasingly domestic nature of the show, what with Walter being cooped up either in his apartment or his house.

The season more than compensated for the lack of action in the second half of the season, it made most people realise that it was all masterfully orchestrated, with every episode being vital to Walter and Jesse’s journey.

And here’s another one: The end-date has been flagged, in a way, by series creator Vince Gilligan as Season 5. This only leaves one more season after this one airs.

So here’s the question; Would you be disappointed if the series ends after only five seasons- yes, it’s great to end on a high, but is it too good a show to stop?

Yes, you might risk a “good” season six, but a “good” season of Breaking Bad would be still better than most other things on TV.

So, in other Breaking Bad words, would you prefer a diluted product than no product at all? Or do you prefer a pure, full-bodied hit of Breaking Bad.

With less than a month to go until the Season 4 premiere of Breaking Bad, the details for the first episode have been revealed.

The first episode will be called “Box Cutter”, not “El Topo”, as it was previously rumoured to be (it could possibly be the name of a later episode).

The official synopsis is: “Walt and Jesse face the deadly consequences of their actions. Skyler deals with a puzzling disappearance, as Marie struggles to help Hank with his recovery.”

Of course, the next two episodes are titled “Thirty-Eight Snub” and “Open House”.

AMC poses these questions teasingly regarding the above picture: “Why is Gus in the superlab, wearing a Tyvek suit no less? Why has Mike donned a chemical respirator? Why do Walt and Jesse look so uneasy?”

Here are some more pictures to tide you over until the premiere:

So obviously this episode will deal with the aftermath of last season’s explosive finale.

Bryan Cranston gave an exclusive interview with Collider which should be a must-read for any Breaking Bad fan. I maintain that there is no-one better at summing up the mood and plot direction of a show that the actual actors themselves. Here is what he has to say about the overall arc of the show;

The first season was all about the decision. Here is where you were introduced to this man, this man’s life, this man’s plight, his limited decision, and he makes this decision. The second season was “Oh, so this plan isn’t so simple? There is a ripple affect and the ramifications from this decision. Aha!” The third season was that there was no more fooling yourself. That you have to embrace the fact that you have some criminal intentions and you better wise up and get a little street cred going or you are going to lose your life. For a bright man he was naïve in many different ways. So he had to embrace how to be a criminal, you know? “Being a Criminal for Dummies” – he read that book. Season 4 now opens it up. It had to be and it is justifiable. It starts out in season 1 with this single man with this dilemma. Here is the condition and then it’s like a spring. All of a sudden now it’s a twig, now you have a bush, and now it is a tree. The breadth of the story had to expand to introduce toes that he is stepping on like the cartel and all of these new characters. The involvement gets more complicated. It has to grow. So now there are new shoots from this one tree that are all around. As promised, this man’s life is getting more and more complicated and not simplified. So his simple plan is anything but. It just gets darker and deeper. You used to say that he was on his way to this new persona, but he is here. It’s just the fact that he needs to truly embrace who he is and what he is capable of in order to survive.

He also addresses the buzz surrounding “minisodes” that would be released to bridge the large gap between seasons three and four. Thankfully, Cranston admits that they were just rumours and nothing eventuated. There’s nothing I personally hate more than minisodes, webisodes, and even deleted scenes being released – I get that they are often used to bulk up the DVD extras in an age when less and less people are buying DVDs, or are used to maintain interest in a show, or even attract more people, but for TV purists, they add too much grey area in terms of plot, etc. (if a character says something in a deleted scene, did that actually “happen” in the fabricated world of a particular show?) And minisodes are often unsubstantial, and it would pain me to see anything Breaking Bad that was of little substance.

Anyway, check out the interview here, or you can even listen to it here, if you want to hear Cranston’s voice again.